The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is still not functioning properly, six months after a new chairman and new executive were appointed, said Labour’s main spokesperson for tourism, Evarist Bartolo.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Bartolo said the new leadership did reverse certain wrong decisions, including the over-spending on CNN advertising and the branding campaign.

However, a lot still needed to be done for the MTA to serve as an effective tool to increase the number of incoming tourists and the amount of money they spend here, said Mr Bartolo.

The Labour MP said many of the employees at the MTA were frustrated and upset by the overall state of chaos, confusion and general disillusionment. Many employees were not in a position to give their full contribution to help the tourism sector regain its strength.

As a result, the authority could not function in a professional manner, Mr Bartolo said, adding that much better leadership was required at the MTA, so that it could work with the entire tourism sector, which played such an important role in the country’s economy and which was a source of income for thousands of

families.